The Walking Dead: Pestilence
by Mrs. Sammy Winchester
Summary: THIS IS A ROUGH DRAFT OF THIS STORY. I JUST WANT TO SEE HOW MANY PPL WILL FOLLOW AND LIKE THIS IDEA :) Phoenix is my OFC and im writing an original story about her on wattpad if ud like to check it out :) PM me for details. Anyways I don't own the walking dead and this is a DarylXOC fanfic enjoy :3
1. Chapter 1

***Shyly peeks from behind curtain* Hello my name is Mrs. Sammy Winchester. This is my first TWD fanfiction and I am very nervous about posting this I would like some encouragement to continue posting and I would very much appreciate ideas. The characters may be very OC and I apologize in advance I am not the greatest when it comes to capturing a characters personality if they are not my own. Thank you. Oh and i do not own The Walking Dead, only Phoenix... Enjoy**

When Daryl Dixon first saw her, he thought that she was a walker trudging aimlessly in the woods. But when he aimed his crossbow and let the arrow fly, he did not expect her to dodge it, the deadly weapon barely grazing her neck. She fell face first to the ground with a heavy thud and his arrow stuck in the bark of one of the many trees.

He ran up to her, his nerves on alert for danger. Something wasn't right about the situation he just got in. So as he cautiously approached her he noticed that her hair was as white as snow. Her clothes were tattered, barely hanging on at the seams and her feet were bare and dirty from the muddy earth.

'Damn it, I almost killed me an old woman,' he thought bitterly to himself.

But upon further inspection he noticed that her pale skin was still rather youthful. So, putting his crossbow across his back, he knelt down to the fallen woman, felt for a pulse and found one, then he gently turned her over. At first he was shocked, but when he continued to drink in her features he felt... Warmth and protectiveness washed over him, like the morning sun beating down on his back.

She had a heart shaped face, full pink lips, a dainty nose, long curved eyelashes, and a thick mane of beach wave curled hair that, he assumed, fell past the middle of her back. She looked no taller than 5 ft (give or take a few inches) and she had a very womanly figure with full set breasts (and because of them Daryl found himself clenching his jaw). She was absolutely gorgeous.

After his "inspection" he noticed the still fresh blood on her neck where his arrow grazed her. He pulled out the red rag that was tucked in his back pocket and began wiping her neck clean to prevent infection. But as he finished cleaning the red substance from her slender neck he notice that the flesh was intact. There was no gash, no faint scar, nothing.

Daryl couldn't understand what was happening, so he was startled when he felt a small hand grip the front of his shirt and molten gold eyes gaze up into his ice blue ones. His heart hammered in his chest, as he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful color. They were a color that he knew was not natural for a person to have. They held power, warmth, and security. He felt... safe staring into her eyes as she stared back.

"What's ya name girl?" He asked coming out of his trance.

She slightly cocked her head to the left, as if she couldn't understand what he had said. But she spoke, "Succurro mihi... EGO don't teneo qua EGO sum quod EGO postulo... (1)"

Daryl couldn't understand her and he stared hard at her, contemplating what she was saying and in what language. "Girl, I have no clue what ya'r saying. But I'm gonna take ya back to my camp ta get ya help, k?"

As soon as he positioned her correctly in his arms he was stunned when he felt warm smooth lips press against his. He reeled backwards and landed on his back, the girl falling with him and landing lightly on his chest. Her lips were soft, warm and inviting. They fit perfectly against his and he could not help, but kiss her back. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer, causing her to gasp giving him the opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth. A groan ruptured from the back of his throat as he tasted her. She was sweet like peaches and he felt like he couldn't get enough of it. But he was soon disappointed when she pulled away and locking gazes with him again, a pink tint coating her cheeks.

"As I was saying... My name is Phoenix and I need your help..."

Still stunned, Daryl pulled himself into a sitting position the girl, who was calling herself Phoenix, kneeling between his knees. He looked down at her and frowned as she looked up at him with her curious golden eyes. His eyes fell to her lips and he pursed his own, the feeling of her soft pink mouth still lingering. He brought his eyes back up to hers and sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Girl, when we get back to camp, ya best start explainin,'" he sighed, pulling them both up off the ground.

**Ok so here was the first chapter. What did you think? please review and be kind, flames will not be tolerated. **

**Phoenix is my original character and if you want to know more about her let me know :)**

**Oh and when Phoenix first spoke it was in latin. I'm not sure if it was the best translation but i did my best. But this is what she said- "help me... i dont know where i am and i need your help" please review :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter begins in the episode Tell It To The Frogs when Daryl comes back from his hunt. POVs will change but will remain somewhat third person, if that makes any sense. Please review and fave :). I do not own the walking dead because if I did Daryl would be all mine ;) lol **

When Daryl had emerged from the forest no one was surprised. Not even to his reaction when he found that a walker had been gnawing on the deer he had been tracking. Nor the attitude he gave averyone. Nope not in the slightest bit surprised. It was the snowy haired, golden eyed girl, that revealed herself seconds later, that surprised them.

"Who the Hell are you!?" Shane barked, aiming his shotgun at the mysterious girl.

Phoenix stopped in her tracks to stare at the group who was staring back. A blush creeped up her neck as she did not enjoy the hard, curious eyes or the emotions that rolled off them in waves. Or the fact that a gun was being aimed at her. She twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers and was unsure of what to do. She glanced over at Daryl seeking refuge from it all.

Daryl locked eyes with her and he could see the golden color had, literally, brightened with nervousness. So he walked up to her, scooped her into his arms and walked passed everyone. Even shouldering an angered Shane.

"If ya'll want answers ya best show her some respect and stop glarin'," Daryl barked with a serious tone.

Everyone stared after them as Daryl sat the girl down by the fire pit and quietly spoke to her.

"Are you alright?" Daryl asked gruffly.

Phoenix nodded, but continued to twirl her hair in her fingers. She was still nervous and on edge from all the emotion she sense off Daryls' group members. They were strong and came off in waves, but she couldn't blame them with how the world was now. But what really made her nervous was the man who had his shot gun aimed at her head. She wasn't so scared about being shot, no that wasn't why he scared her. It was his emotions that scared her. Out of everyone that had stared her down his were the most fierce. He was angry, hurt, confused and down right ready to kill. His eyes were intense with those emotions and she felt like she had been punched in the gut with them, leaving her breathless. It had been at that moment that she knew she could not trust that man.

Phoenix was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard Daryl yelling, " you best let me go!"

Looking towards the RV, she saw that Daryl had been wrestled to the ground and was locked in a firm choke hold.

"Nah, I think it's best that I don't," the who had Daryl in a choke hold countered.

"Choke holdin's illegal!" Daryl gasped.

"Yeah, well you can file a complaint," the curly haired man said but Daryl continued to struggle against the mans hold, which only caused him to further tighten his grip. "Come on now we can keep this up all day."

Phoenix looked on at the scuffle and immediately locked eyes with her savior. Anger and hurt was evident in his ice blue eyes and she felt a twinge in her heart. Their gaze was blocked when a tall, thin man came in their line of vision.

'I can not allow this,' she thought, as she got up and stalked over to the wrestling men.

"Please, let him go...," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The men all looked up at her and they all seemed to relax, even the emotion in Daryl's' eye seemed to soften. But they did not release him and she asked again, "please, just... let him go..."

With that the man, who she figured was Rick Grimes, commanded "let him go, Shane."

Bewildered, Shane looked back and forth between his best friend and the white haired girl with mistrusting eyes. His anger was rising again and he felt conflicted, so he tightened his grip on Daryl's neck causing him to gasp for breath.

"Shane, let him go," Rick commanded with more force.

Shane bowed his head and grit his teeth, refusing to oblige to Ricks request. That was until he felt his chest constrict as it felt like the very essence of his life was being taken. His body felt heavy like lead and he had to struggle just to lift his head to look up as gasps erupted from the camp group. His eyes locked with golden orbs and he was terrified to see that she was the one who was controlling his movements. She was in a defensive stance with her hands in a puppeteer gesture. She lifted her hands above her head which lead to Shane to being forced to release Daryl from his grip and him in a standing position. Then she curled her fingers and Shane walked to her very rigidly as he fought for control, but failed.

When he reached the small woman her hands curled into tight fists, locking Shane in a stand still position. Her eyes literally pierced his soul and he could not look away. Other than the beginning of the apocalypse he had never felt more terrified, least of by a small woman whom was controlling his body. She held a strength that overpowered his own by a mile. He even thought that she would kill him.

"I'm sorry that it has come to this, but I needed to stop you," she spoke lightly, her voice laced with venom. "He saved my life and I can not allow you to hurt him. If you try anything like that to him again, next time I will not hesitate."

With that said she released her fists, Shane stumbling to gain his own balance again. He sucked in a big gulp of air as he did not know he had been holding his breath the whole time. He looked down at the small girl as she rushed to Daryl helping him stand, her gold eyes now full of concern.

'What the hell just happened?' he thought, frustration seeping into his bones.

He looked up at the group that had watched the whole scene unfold and his frustration only turned into anger.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YA'LL LOOKING AT?!" He bellowed.

Everyone quickly, but quietly scattered and went on to doing their own thing.

**Well what do you think? This is only a first glimpse at what Phoenix is really capable of so there will be more to come. Review please and let me know what your thoughts are :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**EDITED! So this chapter is a bit longer and i hope that it came out alright. **

**I do not own the walking dead :'(**

**Please read and review need the help to shove me along on this idea :)**

As Phoenix helped Daryl to his feet, she did not miss the question in his eyes. She knew he was curious about what she did and she was sure the others were as well. And she was willing to explain, but was a little terrified that they would not accept someone as... different as her, even in times like these. But the one thought that terrified her more than anything was that DARYL would not accept her. He had been the first person she had any physical contact with after her rebirth and she was more than grateful for his kindness, even though he was too stoic to show it.

And there was something about him that called out to her. Although she could not get a read on his emotions she did get a sense of security from him. And when their lips met back when they were in the woods, she felt lightning flow through her entire body. It set her nerves ablaze and sent her emotions running wild through her head like a runaway train. And because of it she wanted to know him better. She wanted to understand him. She wanted to... love him...

When Daryl sat down by the fire pit, looked at her, he asked, "what the fuck did you do to him, girl?"

Phoenix jumped slightly, startled out of her thoughts. She did not expect him to question her so soon. She took a strand of her hair between her fingers and nervously twirled it around her digits "Um... I-I think that everyone needs to hear this," she said quietly.

Daryl stared hard at her for a moment before he yelled, "hey ever'body needs to get their asses over hear. Phoenix has some'in ta say!"

Everyone gathered around the fire pit and waited patiently for Phoenix to collect her thoughts. When she looked up and took in the curious looks she introduced herself, "my name is Phoenix Rothen."

The rest of the introductions began after that. Starting with Rick and ending with T-dog. She committed every name and face to memory and she began explaining.

"My name is Phoenix. I don't want you to be alarmed by what I am about to say and/or do," she said with seriousness that caused everyone to sit straight in their seats. "I am not exactly... normal and that is a reason people do not accept me, willing or otherwise."

"Now why would you say something like that?" Rick asked, looking her dead in the eye.

Phoenix smiled sadly up at him and continued, "good question. The reason for that is because of the power that I possess, which you caught a glimpse of not even half an hour ago." Everyone was silent as they all looked at Shane, while Shane glared at her. But she ignored it and continued her story.

"I can read peoples minds, sense auras and emotions or in shorter terms: empathy. I reach into a persons soul and control their body," at this she glanced at Shane and smirked when he cringed. "And I have inhuman strength that comes in handy when caught in a melee battle. I even have the ability to levitate any object to my will..."

Phoenix demonstrated every ability with pride. Even though people didn't accept her for her abilities she was very prideful about them. They were a part of her and she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

As she sat back down Carl spoke up, "so... Your exactly like a superhero."

Phoenix looked at the young boy in bewilderment. It was more of a statement rather than a question, but a smile broke out across her face and she said, "in a way, I guess you could say I am."

Smiles broke out across the groups mouths and a weight was lifted off her shoulders. This group of people was accepting her and it was encouraging her to continue.

"But there are a couple other abilities that really define who I am," she spoke breaking the joyful moment.

Standing she moved at least a good few feet away from everyone. "My parents didn't name me 'Phoenix' for the Hell of it... No they named me 'Phoenix' because of these powers."

At this, Phoenix closed her eyes and focused on the warm energy that swam within her heart. When she locked onto it she felt the palms of her hands burn with a familiar sensation. Slowly opening her eyes, she lifted her hands to show off a stunning flame that grew and shrank with every breath that she took.

When she heard nothing from the people before her, she peeked from under her eyelashes and studied their expressions, waiting for rejection. But she saw and felt no such emotion. She only saw complete awe and fascination from the multiple colored eyes.

A smile broke out across her face and tears stung the rims of her eyes. She quickly clamped her hands close, the flame dissipating. She wiped her eyes as tears trailed down her cheeks. Although she couldn't remember any of her past lives she had finally felt accepted by complete strangers. It was an amazing feeling that filled her with utter joy.

Daryl saw the tears in her eyes and he immediately walked up to her, wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders. He had seen the emotion wash across her face and recognized them instantly as he remembered they were old friends. He remembered being denied and rejected by his own parents. He remembered his father being brutal and beating to the point of nearly killing him if it hadn't been for his brother,Merle, who had stopped him. He remember the emotional and physical scars that it was just too much. There was so much hurt, anger, and rejection he had hardened his emotions and refused to let anyone in.

Until now...

"You can stop now," he whispered into her hair. "You don't gotta show us anymore if you don't wanna."

Phoenix pulled away from him and looked him in the eye, "no there is one more thing that I need to show everyone. It maybe helpful in the future." Everyone gave Phoenix their full attention once again. "But I am going to need your help Mr. Grimes."

Rick started at her cautiously, his eyes questioning her intentions as she approached him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Grimes," she giggled, " my intentions are not devious... You are the only person in this group that I can sense who is physical pain. A gun shot wound if I'm not mistaken."

Rick stared at her with wide eyes, "how did you know that?" he asked shakily.

Phoenix smiled at him as he pulled himself off the log he had been sitting on and stood next to her. "I'm an empath. I could feel your pain at least a mile outside of camp, Mr. Grimes."

Rick stared down at the small woman before him and he couldn't help but correct her, "stop with the formalities Please, just call me Rick."

She smiled up at him and he felt his heart melt. Rick Grimes saw genuine trust in the small curve of her lips and the slight twinkle in her gold eyes. He regretted at that moment for ever mistrusting her. But he still couldn't believe that someone as small as her held power he couldn't even possibly begin to understand. She was amazing and she gave him hope. Hope for something better for his family and for the group.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt small warm hands press against the wound up against his ribs, a feral hiss passing his lips.

"I am sorry about this, but I need to pinpoint the source of the pain in order for this to work," she said so only he could hear.

He nodded and forced himself to relax, closing his eyes in the process, as she moved her hands over the wound. Then... he felt it. He felt a warmth spread from his wound to the rest of his body. It seeped into his bones and flooded his mind. His nerves were at ease and he had never felt so relaxed. The feeling was delicious and he wanted to forever bask in it.

Wanting to know how Phoenix was doing this, he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the small woman and noticed that her eyes were closed and her eyebrows knitted together in concentration. But his eyes widened when he noticed the white... flame, he supposed it was, licking at his skin and encasing her hands. At first he thought he needed to pull away, but was stopped when he heard another voice in his head.

'It's okay, Rick,' Phoenix said in his head, her giggle echoing off the walls of his mind. 'This is my healing ability.'

Before Rick could respond, she pulled away, the warmth completely leaving him. He looked down at the girl and saw she was bracing herself against him.

"Phoenix... Are you alright?" He asked helping her stand.

When her body arched backwards he noticed the blood through her already filthy shirt. He noticed that it was it was in the exact same spot as his wound had been. He panicked and could not respond quickly enough to catch her before she hit the ground. He started at her in shock as she curled herself into a ball, pain etched into her beautiful features.

The entire camp, besides the kids who looked frightened about what just happened, gathered around her, debating about what to do.

"What the hell are we gonna do?!" T-Dog shouted, panic stricken.

"Somebody needs to get rags and water," Lori commanded, "we need to stop the bleeding before she loses too much!"

The entire camp scrambled, unable to find anything useful. But everyone froze when Daryl Dixon's voice boomed.

"EVER'BODY GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!" He demanded.

Rick looked at Daryl as he immediately dropped at her side, pushing him out of the way. Stunned, he could do nothing but watch as Daryl seemed to console the bleeding girl.

Daryl cupped her face in his large hands, forcing her to look him in the eye. He pleaded with her through his eyes to tell him she was okay as her heavy gasps slowed to light inhale and exhale.

"I'm... Fine... Daryl," she said in between breaths.

Sighing, Daryl looked at the crimson stain on her shirt and rolled it up, revealing no wound. Everyone gathered around the two and were shocked at the sight of Phoenix's intact flesh.

"Just like b'fore...," he thought out loud. He looked up at her and asked, "what the Hell did you do?"

"I healed him...," she said, loudly enough that everyone could hear her.

"But why did you start bleedin'?" Daryl asked his tone firm and serious.

Phoenix looked at Rick and smiled, "how does your wound feel, Rick?"

Rick shook himself out of his daze and asked, "W-what?"

"Your gun shot wound how does it feel?" Phoenix asked, sitting up, Daryl helping her by allowing her to lean against him.

Rick pulled off his shirt and pealed his bloody bandages away from his skin. He expected to see gore and blood matted against pale skin, but what he got was flawless flesh stretched over smooth muscles. Gasps erupted from around him and his head began swimming.

He looked down Phoenix with wide eyes, "What did you do?"

"WHAT YOU DIDN'T HEAR HER THE FIRST FUCKIN' TIME?!" Daryl shouted, irritable, his fists clenching at his sides.

"No, Daryl it's okay," Phoenix said touching Daryl's arm lightly, calming him instantly. "When I heal a person it is well worth the pain. That light that you saw was a part of my soul. I used its essence to heal heal Ricks' wound. But it obviously comes at a deadly price. Because I used my soul to heal him his wound became my own causing my body to feel the pain and emotion that he had gone through. Sometimes the wounds can be so severe that it literally kills me or causing my powers to go into protective mode."

"Protective mode?" Glenn asked, his eyes curiously gazing at her, "what do you mean by that?"

Phoenix smiled, "if a wound is severe enough and I heal it or I am injured my powers will go into a somewhat protective mode and lay dorement within me. My ability to heal will draw energy from my other abilities to use and heal the injury or injuries. I am unable to use my powers while the healing is taking place, so I originate to my _human_ form. My hair turns black and my eyes change to a normal color."

"So what the hell happens when it kills you?" Shane questioned, uncertain. "You make it sound like this has happened to you before."

Phoenix looked up at Shane and glared. "Yes this has happened to me before. Just like Greeks mythological creature, THE PHOENIX, my powers consume my body and I am turned to ash. I am reborn from those ashes and am looking the age of 18 when, in all reality, I am thousands of years old. The down side to being reborn is I have no memory of my pervious lives, BUT certain things can trigger those memories and I will revert back to that old self because it is who I was before the discovery of these gifts that I have. But once that time comes I can give you a better explanation to you as to who I really am. For now all I'm saying is that I AM the reincarnate of the phoenix... I AM the bird of fire."

**Welp that is Phoenix for you all powered up and what not. But her story does not end there :) more will be revealed the farther along i get into the story. PLEASE REVIEW, NO FLAMES.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so here is chapter four. This time it is in Phoenix's POV and I like the way that it turned out, so I think from now on it will stay in Phoenixs POV or switch off to someone elses depending on how the story line turns out. **

**I do not own The Walking Dead, just Phoenix.**

**Please enjoy and review :)**

Phoenix's POV

After I had finished explaining myself to everyone the young blonde, Amy, had offered me some of her clothes. She lead me to the quarry for a bath, while the boys formulated a plan to head to Atlanta to get Daryls brother, Merle, and a bag of guns that Rick had left behind. It was a good thing too because for one I felt gross in the clothes I had taken off the corpse that had been sluggishly walking on a desolate highway. And two I wanted to be clean when I joined everyone who planned to go to Atlanta. Hey, it may be the end of the world, but a girl needed to stay clean.

When I had found the highway I had looked around curiously, wondering where I was. It was then that a cold, dead aura hit me full force. It was a chilling feeling when I came face to face with the undead fucker, or walker as Daryl had referred to calling them. So when the creature had lunged at me with its decaying lips peeled back and a fierce hungered snarl escaping its slack jaw, I panicked. I quickly slaughtered the disgusting walker with little to no effort.

It's clothes had been in a decent condition and I took them, then I ran into the woods, searching for some form of ACTUAL life, memories of what had happened before my rebirth hitting me full force.

"So I brought all the basic womanly necessities in case you need them," Amy said, her voice bubbly. "There is shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and hair ties. I didn't know if you needed...," she paused, looking over her shoulder, and whispered, "tampons or anything, so I brought those too... just in case. I have to go back and find a clean towel. Today's laundry day so we may not have any."

She looked at me with an apologetic smile. I smiled back, "no, its fine. I can easily dry myself off." I snapped my fingers, igniting a small flame that danced on my finger tip.

Amy's smile brightened and she said, "you know, I don't think I'll ever get use to that." We both laughed. "Welp, I'm gonna go ahead and give you some privacy. Scream if you need help. Not that a bad ass like you will need it."

With a final giggle, Amy walked back up the slope to camp, leaving me alone. Once I was sure I was alone I stripped my clothes and set them on fire.

Turning to the water, I eased my toes in, testing the temperature, and recoiling when an ice cold shock shot up my body. I got down on my haunches, dipped my hands into the icy water and heated a useful amount of water, as not to kill any of the wild life. Once satisfied with the temperature, I eased myself in and sighed in contentment. My tense muscles unknotted and relaxed as the warm water soothed my body. I dove beneath the water to soak my hair and resurfaced. I grabbed the shampoo that sat on the shore and lathered up my hair with it, vanilla overcoming my senses. I was at peace with myself for once (or as far as I knew anyways) and it left me smiling.

But my moment of tranquility was ruined when I felt someone's presence. It was not unfamiliar, as it was someone from the group, but it was giving off energy that made me uncomfortable. I submerged, shielding my naked body.

"Who's there?!" I called out, folding my arms over my chest for extra measure.

And, as if on cue, a large man emerged from behind a large bolder. I instantly recognized him as Carols husband, Ed. He definantly gave off waves of unadulterated lust and it nerved me to my very core.

"What the Hell do you want?" I called out to him.

He glanced at me with steely grey eyes and he flicked his cigarette to ground, crushing it beneath his boot. He then shifted his lust filled gaze back to me and I shivered, despite the warm water I was in.

"What the Hell do I want?" He asked tauntingly. "How 'bout you get you' pretty little ass outta that water and bring your self on up here with me."

At this, he grabbed his crotch, showing a slight bulge, which caused me to scrunch my nose in disgust.

"No, I'd rather not," I said turning my back to him. "Now if you don't mind I would like to finish my bath."

I ducked my head under the water, hoping Ed would be home by the time I resurfaced. Yeah, no such luck. The burly man had moved closer to the water and yanked me out of the water by the back of my hair.

Momentarily, I was stunned, but then I flailed my arms and legs hoping to get out of his grasp. I refused to use my powers to defend myself against him because I felt that if I did everyone back at camp would distrust me for brutally hurting one of there own, and that was something I did not want. But that did not stop me from fighting against him. I punched, kicked and screamed for him to let me go, not caring that I was naked. I just wanted him off and away from me; the urge to use my inhuman strength growing but I had to force it back.

"Oh come on, you little bitch," he whispered harshly against my cheek his breath fowl, "you know you want it?"

I continued to struggle and shouted, "NO I DON'T! NOW LET ME GO, YOU FILTHY ASSHOLE!"

His body tensed with anger and he turned me to face him. My vision dotted with black circles after he back handed, causing me to fall to the sand covered ground. He took a step toward me, getting ready to cause more damage. But that was before a fist came out of no where and smashed into the side of his face, causing him to stumble. Then said fist grabbed the collar of his flannel shirt and dragged him to the ground, pummeling him with such brute force his face was practically unrecognizable.

"If I ever see you touch anyone like that in this camp ever again," Shane's voice growled, "I will beat you to death Ed. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes...", Ed said struggling with his words, as his face had swollen up like a balloon.

Shane pushed him back into the ground, wiped the sweat from his brow, kicked him harshly in the ribs and briefly locked eyes with me before walking away to an unknown location.

The emotion in his chocolate eyes had been raw and overwhelming, almost stronger than when I first met him. Everything around me vanished and I never noticed Daryl rushing up to me or Carol, while in tears, falling to her knees at Ed's side. I didn't notice that everyone had gathered around Daryl and I and was throwing questions at me left and right. All I could remember were Shane's pained eyes.

**Well? :) what did you think... Please, please, pretty pretty please leave a review it would be lovely of you if you did :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so I'm dedicating this chapter to FanFicGirl10 because she helped me figure out some things I was stuck on and because I kept her up so late. So I hope she likes :)**

**In this chapter Daryl also has his own POV. Like I said in the beginning I'm not very good at capturing a characters personality so he maybe OOC. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

**I do not own The Walking Dead, only Phoenix.**

Phoenix's POV

After everyone had left once the drama died down, leaving Daryl and I alone, I sat staring at the spot where Shane had stood, my eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He had beat the living Hell out of Ed, but he didn't do it for me. The look in his eyes told me that he did it because he needed to take his frustration out on something or someone, in this case it being Ed. The look in his eyes had told me that he had not been furious. No, it was way beyond that point. He was fucking pissed. But his rage had not been directed at Ed, although it should have been, it just wasn't. And I wanted to know why. No one had anger like that for no reason.

"Hey," Daryl's gruff voice interrupted my thoughts. "You okay?"

I looked up at him, noticing the red tint coating his cheeks as he looked at me with his hard blue eyes. I nodded and looked down at the sandy floor. A blush then crept up my neck and into my cheeks when I realized I was still butt ass naked, my back side pressed lightly against Daryl's front.

Squeaking, I jumped up (knocking Daryl on his ass in the process) and dove back into the, now ice cold, water. 'How embarrassing,' I thought bitterly.

When I broke the surface Daryls voice was loud and agitated, "wha' the hell, ya damn broad!?"

He turned on his heels and stomped his way back up to camp, leaving me alone and flustered. I sunk back into the water, to just barely above my top lip, and exhaled out my nose. Pissing Daryl off was unintentional, but I was self conscious about my body. At least I felt like I was supposed to be.

Sighing again, I quickly finished bathing and got dressed. I walked back up to the camp site, sensing the thick tension hanging in the air. Everyone's nerves were on edge because of the fact that half the men were leaving to risk their lives for, what Shane called, a douche bag of a man. Rick thought other wise and I agreed with him. Leaving a man for dead, whether it was accident or not, it was cruel. No man deserved to die a slow painful death.

HONK!

"Come on, let's go!" Daryl's voiced boomed from the back of the cube van.

I looked at him as he paced the back of the van with a tense exterior. He was tired of waiting and was starting to slowly lose it as he anxiously continued his pacing in the small space. So I walked to the van and jumped in with him to ease his troubled mind. Yeah, big mistake. He visibly tensed and I had no idea what I was going to say to him. When he looked at me my mouth dried and my throat closed up. All I could do was smile up at him like an idiot as he gave me a hard, stoic expression. My heart raced as I watched his blue eyes survey my face and the rest of my body until they came back up and studied my lips. I blushed when he licked his own lips and clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck tightening. And I instantly knew what he was thinking about.

He was remembering the kiss we had shared back in the woods.

Daryl's POV

She looked hella sexy, standing in front of me with her tight cut off shorts, faded blue Carhartt flannel, and black distressed high top converse. And, being clean now, her skin gave off a soft, healthy, peachy glow. I scanned her body slowly from head to toe and back before resting them on those juicy lips of hers. They were plump and healthy, begging for me to kiss and ravish them, just like back in the woods. I remembered the way they had fit perfectly against mine. Her taste had lingered in my mouth and I wanted more. If I had my way, I would have devoured her mouth, committing her taste to memory. I would have had her screaming my name as I pounded into her mercilessly. I would have made her ALL mine. But she deserved my respect, only God knowing the reason why.

"So...," I said clearing my throat, "yer coming with?"

She shyly nodded and twisted the ends of her braided hair between her fingers. I felt my lips twitching into a smile at the adorable habit I noticed she had. But I immediately turned and sat against the back of the passenger seat. She followed and sat closely beside me, almost too close, that it made slightly uncomfortable. I pressed my thumb to my lips and nervously chewed on the hang nail.

Out of my peripheral vision I could see how uncomfortable she was as she fidgeted with her hands. She looked like she wanted to say something, but looked unsure.

Grunting, I asked, " so... Do ya know how you got them powers of yers?"

She released a small breath, looked up at me, and smiled. I ground my teeth together as I noticed how moist looking her small mouth was. Thoughts flew threw my head like an angry hive of bees and I had to close them off to resist the strong urges my body gave off.

"Well I can't really say because I don't really remember," she paused and looked thoughtful. "When I'm reborn the only things I remember is what I'm capable of. I'm not exactly sure why that's the only thing I remember, but I have a hunch. I think its because..."

She was cut off as the cube van violently lurched forward, causing her to grab onto something to catch herself from tumbling toward. And, to my absolute pleasure, that something was my thigh. I felt a growl rumble in my throat at the innocent contact and was disappointed when she snatched her hand away. I wanted to grab her hand, pull her in my lap, and let her feel what she was doing to me.

'What the Hell is happenin' to me?' I thought to myself. 'I barely know this damn girl and she's making feel things I have never felt before.'

As I was growing up I had built a barrier around my emotions and didn't allow myself to feel. My parents had been alcoholics and abusive, topping it off with drug abuse. Merle had been the only one who had cared for me during my rough childhood. He defended me against our mothers hurtful words and protected me against our daddy's brute strength; at least until I was old enough to stick up for my self.

But as we got older our parents bad habits grew on Merle. He became a belligerent asshole and I had to keep my own against him too. He wasn't as much a physical abuser as he was an emotional abuser. But I still kept that barrier in check.

He and my father would get together, get shit faced and let the slander words fly. They would call me a "faggot" or a "pussy" for being too kind hearted. My dad would then beat the shit outta me and say that I wasn't a man, that I was no son of his, and that i Merle watching from the side lines and laughing as if it were the most funniest thing in the world.

That had been the first of many bad memories at just the age of six. I even had the thick mass of scars across my chest, from past beatings, to prove it. But, all things aside, Merle had been left behind, handcuffed to a roof, and left for dead. He was my only kin and had actually took the time to raise me. I wasn't going to let him die a cruel death. Not even with the thought of getting shit from him afterwards was going to stop me.

I exhaled out of my nose, exasperated, and looked for something to get my mind off of my past and brother. Lifting my gaze, I noticed T-dog leaning on the opposite side of the cube van wall. He would have to do.

"You know, he better be ok," I said as I glared daggers into his head. "It's my only word on the matter."

He looked at us and said, "I've told you. The geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door... is us."

Squinting my eyes at him, I stared hard. I wiped my face with my red rag and sighed. His brown eyes held truth and I couldn't deny it. The guilt was there, too.

The van came to a sudden halt and Glenn said, "okay, we walk from here..."

As we exited the back of the van I noticed that we had stopped in the middle of a railroad crossing. T-dog, Phoenix, and I joined Rick and Glenn at the front of the van and began trudging our way into the city.

Phoenix's POV

When we had finally made it into the city, I was robbed of breath. Someone, deep within the city, was praying with desperation. But what had really left me breathless was the fact that this was the first time I had ever heard this persons voice in prayer, or at least it didn't seem familiar (if that makes sense). He was begging for forgiveness and asking for answers from God, but then it had immediately turned into rage, contradicting the prayer he had just . And then, as quickly as it had hit me, it was gone. Or severed was more like it.

"I can sense him," I said, staring at the city, my brows knitting together. The boys looked at me with question and I had to resist the urge to face palm. "I'm an empath, remember?"

Awkwardly, they all looked away.

"So what are we getting first?" Rick asked after he climbed through the whole in the chain link fence. "Merle or guns?"

"There ain't up for discussion," Daryl interrupted. "Merle first."

Rick shot him down as I got through the fence last.

"No Daryl's right. Merle is closer," Glenn said as we all set into a steady jog. "With the guns we would only be doubling back. Merle, first."

"Hey, I have an idea," I said, as we stopped to check for walkers. "How about I go and get the guns while you go and get Merle."

Rick looked thoughtful for a moment. But before he could give his approval on the idea Daryl's voice boomed, echoing off the nearly abandoned buildings, "HELL NO!" T-dog and Glenn shushed him, which only aggravated him, "DON'T FUCKIN' TELL ME TO SHUSH, YOU ASSHOLES!"

He turned to me and glared. I felt myself shrink beneath his intimidating gaze and I nervously played with my braided hair. I couldn't stand not being able to read or sense his emotions. It made me nervous to be around him because I didn't know when he was going to blow up or if he was just going to stay calm.

"YOU ARE NOT GOING INTO THAT FUCKING CITY ALONE! IT'S CRAZY AND RECKLESS AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU OVER SOME STUPID FUCKING GUNS!"

My eyes widened and I looked back up at him. He also realized what he had said and turned away, his face twisting into what I would assume was confusion. I smiled, finally able to understand what he was feeling, even if only for a moment. He was worried about me. And because he was worried meant that he cared about me. And that only sent my heart soaring.

Walking up to him, I stood on my tip toes (because Daryl is taller than me by like 7 inches), wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely He tensed and hesitated to hug back, but he relaxed and eventually returned the soothing gesture with just as much fierceness He buried his face against my neck and lifted me off the ground. A pleasurable chill ran down my spine when his warm breath caressed the sensitive at my collarbone. I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning out as I felt then tenting in his worn jeans between my thighs. So, to reassure him, I pressed my lips against his in a gentle kiss.

As I was pulling, I felt a large hand cup the back of my neck and pull me back towards Daryls mouth. I could feel myself getting dizzy from the intensity of the kiss and I thought that I was going to pass out, but Daryl was having none of it and he forced his tongue into my mouth fighting for dominance. At first I was surprised, but was soon eagerly moving my own tongue with his. It seemed like we could stay that way forever, but the need to breath was overwhelming and we pulled away.

"Don't worry," I said, pulling away to look up at him. "I'll be fine. I''ll use my levitation and stick to the skies until I find the guns." At this, I levitated off the ground to Daryl's height. He nodded, but refused to let me go.

Rick coughed awkwardly, a blush on his cheeks, "alright, then, it's settled. Phoenix you will stick to the skies until you find the guns, don't do anything unnecessary. We will all meet back here and head back to camp."

We all nodded in agreement and separated, with me flying high over the city and the boys heading off to free Merle. Only God had known that I would be regretting the decision to split up.

End POV

Phoenix had scanned almost the entire city before she found the guns laying undisterbed in the walker infested street. There wasn't a safe place to touch ground and she found herself debating with her thoughts.

"I can't simply levitate them," she thought outloud. "That would make too much noise and draw attention to myself. The only other option that I have is to find a secure place to touch ground on and get them on foot."

Phoenix took off flying to find a decent landing spot. And when she found the empty alley half a block away from her destination she immediately touched ground in it without any hesistation. She switched to stealth mode and moved on the balls of her feet to provide agility if necessary. And she was greatful that she did becasue she was soon confronted by a lone walker as she made her, not so quiet, exit out of the ally way.

She reacted upon instict and took a defensive stance. Once the creature lunged she pivioted her body in a full 360 degree circle, slammed her foot into the side of its decaying goard, and sent it flying into the building wall by the powerful roundhouse. The bloated body instantaneously burst into flames upon impact and flittered to the ground as ash. Phoenix didn't miss a beat and she continued on her trek. She surveyed the street behind her to make sure there were no more walkers that could possibly sneak up on her while she grabbed the guns and Ricks' Sherrifs' hat.

She manuevered around the walkers with effortless grace, she almosted looked like she dancing amongst them. Even when they tried attacking her she simply twirled out of there reach. She was like an angel that had been trapped in the depths of hell and was looking for a way out.

Phoenix dove under the tank that sat, abandoned, beside the sidewalk. She army crawled her way to the other side and took the first opening to pull herself out from under the large vehicle. And as she approached the bag of guns she was overcome with a sharp pain in her head. She dropped to her knees and let out a howl that was similiar to that of a wolf crying out for help. Something with an aura so powerful it forced her to the ground, frightened her; she felt like she was being crushed and smothered all at the same time.

Using what strength she could muster, she lifted her head and noticed, with bleary eyes, that every walker within the approximate vicinity had surrounded her; nasty snarls, growls, and slurping sounds filling her ears.

'Something's not right,' she thought as they all stood around me in a big circle locking her in a walker-like-trap, their hungry eyes staring her down like a lion would with it's prey.

She knew that these things did not have the mentality to even register when they needed to stop eating, let alone gather around her and resist the urge to feast upon her flesh. So something was either controlling them or she was losing her mind. Deciding to go with the latter of the two choices when she heard an ominous voice echo in her beating ears.

"My, my, my, look what we have here," the voice said in a sickly sweet tone.

The walkers sluggishly cleared a path and a man, who was dressed head to toe in black, came into Phoenix's line of vision as he walked through said path. He was clean cut, tall, and looked like he could have been a super model. But the devilish smile on his face told her other wise as he walked up to her, crouched beside her, and roughly grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"Well if it isn't my nephews little demon child," he said hotly "I didn't think your rebirth would have been so soon."

He studied her face with cold brown eyes and shoved her into the ground with such force, her impact left hairline factures in the asfalt.

"Oh, well, guess I will just have to dispose of you."

He stood up and straightened the lapels of his suit.

"But I don't want to get this suit dirty. As you can see it is new."

He fixed his diamond cufflinks and turned to make his leave.

"So I will just let my pets do it for me. They are obviously_ dying_ for a fresh meal."

'I know this man...,' Phoenix thought. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. Although eerie in stature, he just gave off that familiar essence. And because of it a name came to the forfront of her mind and she spoke it with a slight hesitance she thought he missed it, "...Pestilance."

But she was proven wrong when her body was ripped up from the ground and she was slammed by an invisible force and spread eagle against a brick building. The man walked up to her, his face mixed with anger and pure hate.

"You do not dare speak my name, you little whore," he hissed, the earth shaking with every word he spoke. "You are below me and you have no right to call me by name." With that he flung her to the ground, face first, and walked away commanding the walkers to do as they pleased.

She was in too much pain to even attempt to get up and run from the hungry creatures. Her head was still spinning and her headache only grew considerably worse as memories began to overload onto her brain. In just that one moment, and saying just that one name she was remembering everything. She remembered her life before this one. She remembered when she first gained her abilities. She remembered her big brother training her to gain control. She remembered it all. She remembered it all. But, more importantly, she remembered how and who ended the world.

She was the cause of the world's distress.

Her body began to shutdown and went into protective/healing mode, but that didn't stop the walkers from advancing on her. It didn't stop the car from plowing down walkers.

'Wait? A car?' she thought.

Her eyes followed all the legs that came out of the vehicle and gathered around her. She heard frantic voices screaming in Spanish and the sound of a blunt object hitting flesh. She felt herself being lifted up and placed in the back of the car. Her vision was blurry so she couldn't focus as the car took off, tires squeeling harshly agaisnt the pavement. she was going to black out and only one thought entered her mind.

'Daryl...'

With the redneck as her final thought she lost consciousness and was drowned in the dark abiss.

**YAY! MY FIRST MAJOR CLIFFHANGER ^_^ Review please.**


	6. Chapter 6

Authors note

hey fans,

im sorry that i havent updated in a very long time. i have had a lot going on with work, home, my son and my internet has been down for the longest time as well. im sorry for making you wait and i will try to update soon. I LOVE YOU ALL :)

MRS. SAMMY WINCHESTER


	7. SNEEK PEEK

**IM SO SORRY! I have been extremely busy taking care of my son and with work that I didnt have the time to write this... but here is a treat that i hope you will like. IT IS A SNEEK PEEK not a new chapter... but hopefully it will make up for my absence. PLEASE ENJOY! :3 I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD.**

Phoenix's POV

"Sophia…?" Carols voice cracked. The older woman began to rush to the animated body of her fallen daughter, until Daryl caught her around the waist and pulled her to him. She collapsed to the dirt, her face crumpled with pain. Daryl cradled her tightly against him, allowing her to let out all her anguish.

Nobody moved as the little blonde girl sluggishly maneuvered over the fallen walkers. Her ashen skin looked flawless against the large walker bite above her collar bone. She still looked like a normal little girl, who was lost and tired.

'She does not deserve this…,' I thought solemnly.

Focusing, I could still sense the life in her. She was fighting the infection with in her, but it was a losing battle. The infection was stronger than her, but the fact that she hasn't willingly accepted death was a sign that she did in fact fight for her life. Although young and naïve I was impressed with her ability to stay strong, even though she was on deaths door.

Rick walked up to the young girl, pistol drawn and aimed directly in the center of her forehead. He was going to put her out of her misery. I couldn't allow that as Carol's sobs were now the only thing I could hear as I ran up to the tall man and firmly gripped his wrist. He looked down at me, bewildered, as I pushed the gun away from the innocent child.

"What are you doing, Phoenix?" he asked, his tone rough with guilt.

I didn't answer him as I pushed him away, hoping he would understand what I was doing. Turning to Sophia, I knelt down in front of her, bringing her to the earth with me. I stared into her glazed over eyes and smiled. There was the tiniest flicker of fire in those dead eyes of hers. She was still in there somewhere and I was going to bring her back. She did not deserve this, not just because of her youth and innocence, but because of the fact that the world had gone to shit was all my fault. If anything I deserved to be in the little girls' position. And igniting that fire deep within her would do just that.

"Phoenix…," Daryl's voice broke into my thoughts. "What the hell're you doin'?"

I turned to the man that I knew I was falling for and smiled. "It's alright, Daryl. I know what I'm doing."

Our eyes locked and I knew that he understood. Although I couldn't read him like he could read me I just knew that he understood.

Turning back to Sophia I hugged her to me and smoothed her down her greasy hair. She struggled against me but I held her firmly. "Sophia, I know you're in there… I am so sorry that this has happened to you. You don't deserve this." I felt tears spring to my eyes as I spoke to her. "You are the sweetest, happiest little girl I have ever met. You're so full of life and energy that I cannot bare to see you to suffer like this."

Cupping her small face in my hands I looked deep into her eyes and locked onto that small fire. She continued to struggle against my hold but I refused to let her try and overpower me. As I have done many times before I released all of my energy and let it engulf us in a blazing white inferno.

This was a very risky move for me because I wasn't exactly sure how the infection would affect me and my powers, but that was beside the point. I could feel all of my energy flowing into the little girl, strengthening her essence, purifying the putrid disease that coursed through her veins. I was oblivious to the emotions that were thundering around me like the perfect sync of mustangs storming across open fields. My sole focus was the little girl's life being pieced back together. Daryl's voice did not reach my ears when I suddenly lost my balance and fell backwards as if an invisible force had shoved me to the earth. But I didn't care. I could only feel complete and utter happiness at reviving the little blond girl. At what cost? I didn't care. The little girl was alive and well, hugging and clinging to her mother for dear life. That alone brought a smile to my face before everything around me faded into blackness.


End file.
